Man at Work (10 page)

Gabe visibly took a deep breath as he faced
her. “I can’t explain it, Toye. I’ve been asking myself that too.
Candace is strong. She’s beautiful. She’s ambitious. She’s
determined. I enjoy her sassy attitude and her conversation.” He
shrugged. “I don’t know what more I can say. You share a lot of the
same qualities. You’re smart and pretty. You’ll find the right guy.
Just like Candace found me.”

The fact that he was letting her down so
nicely made her even madder. Why couldn’t he be an ass about it? He
was so smug standing there rattling off a list of Candace’s good
qualities. He really was a good man—Candace’s man. The sting of his
rejection hurt.

She wanted him to feel the embarrassment she
felt. “Candace ain’t perfect, y’know?”

He stared at her, his gaze emotionless.
“Nobody’s perfect, Toye.”

“
You are. You’re good with
your hands. You have a good heart. And as the owner of all the
Sampson’s chains, you’re one rich dude. It doesn’t get more perfect
than that.”

Surprise registered on his handsome face,
but to his credit, he quickly regained his composure. He gave her
his full attention. “What do you want from me, Toye?”

“
You’ve made it quite
clear there’s nothing you can offer me. Since you’ve been so kind
to me, I wanted to reciprocate.”

Bitterness brewed inside her. Didn’t Candace
already have enough? Good looks. A prospering new business. A
contract with a prominent realtor. And now, she had the attention
of a millionaire. It was all too much.

“
Candace told me she’s
been sleeping with you,” Toye continued. “She’s been playing the
role of her life. She doesn’t really like you, Gabe. She’s only
using you because she found out you’re rich. Before then, she
wouldn’t give you or your beat up truck the time of day. I just
thought I’d let you know.”

The man was a master at masking his
emotions. The only response he gave Toye was a narrowing of his
eyes. “Thank you for your concern, Toye. You can leave now.”

She’d definitely outworn her
welcome—permanently. She left, her head held high, but her spirits
low. If Gabe didn’t want her, he couldn’t have anyone in her
family.

# # #

Gabe slammed the bottom of
his fist against the marbled bar top at O’Malleys.
“How could I have been so blind?”

“
You should have told
Candace the truth.”

“
She knew the truth all
along. It wouldn’t have mattered. Her cousin said she was using
me.”

Gabe tossed back a tumbler
of scotch and swallowed the contents whole. Then he signaled the
bartender for a refill. The atmosphere was the opposite of how he
felt. The festive
lights strung up
reminded him of the stars in the sky that night he took Candace on
the helicopter ride. He’d planned that as a romantic gesture. He’d
called in a favor at the last minute from a friend of his who owned
the heliport. What good had it done?

“
Call her and give her a
piece of your mind,” Phil suggested.

The two sat next to each other on a pair of
leather barstools.

“
No, I don’t want to talk
to her,” Gabe answered.

“
You should call her. Tell
her…that was a lousy…thing she did.” Phil’s words were slurred.
Gabe’s buddy seemed to be taking it harder than him.

“
I don’t know what was
worse. Having to fend off Toye or hearing that Candace had no
interest in me.”

Phil puffed on a cigar. “Never seen you this
upset over a woman.”

The cloud of smoke from the cigar was
exactly what it felt like in Gabe’s head right now. “I’ve never
fallen this hard for a woman.”

“
Call her,” Phil
insisted.

“
Nope. The best punishment
I can give her is not to call. I’ll leave her
wondering.”

In reality, it was best for him not to hear
her voice. He didn’t want to grovel. Or worse yet, get angry and
let her see how much she really mattered to him. Toye said her
cousin was a great actress. He just couldn’t believe the way she
responded in bed was acting. Were her orgasms scripted? Were those
whimpering noises she made in his ear fake? Was the way she wrapped
those long brown legs around him a lie? And the way her nipples
hardened in his mouth? She might have been lying, but she made him
feel real. Every time she kissed him. Every time she stroked him.
Every time she made his dick hard as a rock.

He looked Phil squarely in the eye. “You
think she was using me?”

Phil shrugged. “Never know with women. I
don’t understand ‘em. That’s why I date older chicks. They’re
already established. Don’t need my money. Just want my body.”

Phil was able to coax a half-hearted smile
from him. Gabe could always depend on his best friend for a dose of
reality.

At that moment, his cell phone rang. His
heart lurched when he saw Candace’s number flash across the
screen’s display.

He glanced at Phil’s frowning face.

“
Answer it,” Phil
ordered.

Gabe shook his head and then powered the
phone off. The bartender arrived with a fresh drink. Gabe could
only think of one thing that could make him forget Candace Jones
and her lush curves. “I have a better idea,” he said. “Let’s get
drunk.”

Candace sighed. Her call to Gabe had gone
directly to voicemail. Maybe he was in an important meeting. She’d
left three voicemails already. She didn’t want to seem like she was
hounding him. Why wasn’t he answering? She’d expected him to show
up at the final inspection today, but he hadn’t. She wondered what
was going on.

A few of the guys from Sampson’s had come
just in case anything wasn’t up to code. Of course, she needn’t
have worried. She passed with flying colors. Gabe had seen to
everything. He’d been here every day without fail—except today. But
where was he? She absently chewed on the fingernail of her index
finger. Had Gabe lost interest? Was he deliberately ignoring
her?

Now, that he’s got the coochie, is he
dumping me?

“
I have half a mind to go
up to Sampson’s to see if he’s there,” she told Toye.

The four women stood in the middle of the
kitchen. They’d all worked hard to help Candace get to this
point.

“
I wouldn’t do that if I
were you,” Toye warned. She collected a stack of papers and stuffed
them into a manila envelope. “I didn’t want to say this, but I
think you got the
Bump and Run
treatment.”

Candace’s mouth dropped. “What? You think I
was just a pit stop?”

“
You can’t trust men. He
probably only wanted to get in your pants.” She shook her
forefinger at Candace. “I told you to be careful.”

“
I can’t believe
it.”

“
I don’t know why
not.”

Ronnie offered a sympathetic nod. “Cuz might
be right.”

Candace turned to Marlowe. “What do you
think?”

Marlowe shrugged. “He seemed genuine to
me.”

“
What do you know?” Toye
asked Marlowe. “You think Nicki Minaj can sing.”

Marlowe crossed her arms over her chest.
“She does have some pretty dope raps.”

Luis, one of the burly guys from Sampson’s,
made an announcement from the kitchen doorway. “Miss Candace, we’re
leaving now. Congratulations on passing inspection.”

“
Thanks, Luis. By the way,
have you heard from Gabe?” Candace tried to sound nonchalant, but
she was on edge wondering where the man was.

“
Nope. Not all day. But
that’s no surprise. Sometimes he gets involved in his
work.”

There was a time he was involved in me.
Guess I’m just another passing project.

“
Okay, thanks. I’ll catch
up with him later.”

Her gut told her something was wrong. She
waited for Luis to leave the room before announcing to the other
ladies, “This is ridiculous. I’m calling him.”

“
Uh, you just did,”
Marlowe pointed out. “Repeatedly.”

“
And,” Ronnie added, “He
wasn’t here for you on one of the most important days of your
professional career.”

Her sisters were right. Candace hadn’t
wanted to admit it, but her feelings were hurt. This was a big step
for her. It was more than disappointing that Gabe wasn’t here.
Maybe it would have been different if they hadn’t slept together.
If they’d kept their relationship professional, she probably could
have cared less whether Gabe Hunt showed up at her inspection or
not. But he’d been more than a business acquaintance to her. And
she’d hoped she meant more to him. With each passing second, it
appeared she’d been wrong about him.

She glanced at Toye. Her cousin didn’t have
to confirm her worst fears, but she did.

“
Face it, Candace. You had
a good ride. It’s over.”

# # #

Area 31 was a restaurant located in a busy
section of Downtown Miami. People were drawn there by the live
bands, outdoor seating, and beautiful waterfront views. Under any
other circumstance, Candace would have kicked back, relaxed, and
let her hair down with a few strawberry daiquiris. Tonight, she was
conducting business. Leap of Faith Industries had a reputation for
wholesome family values. She didn’t want to do anything to give
them the impression she wasn’t capable of the same. She sat at a
table near the front door and sipped her cup of hot herbal tea.

“
Everything looks to be in
order, Miss Jones. We’re delighted the project came through on
time.”

“
And on budget,” she
emphasized.

“
Yes, that’s always a
plus.”

Candace watched as Roland Edwards, Senior
Account Representative of Leap of Faith, gave her a friendly smile.
She tried not to gawk at the comb over fighting for her attention
on top of his near-bald head. Staring was just plain rude.

She wished her sisters could be here to see
this. Ronnie would have one hell of a laugh. Marlowe would try to
fix him up with one of her co-workers at the architectural firm
where she temped. Marlowe thought everyone had a perfect soul mate.
Candace doubted that Mr. Edwards, with his unique hairstyle and
fancy bowtie, would have any woman beating down the door to get his
phone number.

“
I brought the contracts,”
he said as he pushed an envelope with the company’s signature logo
embedded on the front. “Of course, I know you’ll probably want your
attorney to look it over. Take your time.” He smiled again. “But
don’t take too long.”

Candace smiled. “No pressure.”

Truthfully, she didn’t need much time. Her
lawyer was already on standby waiting to approve the contract. Once
Candace signed on the dotted line, she was going to be able to
breathe a lot easier. This deal was going to change her life. She
couldn’t believe it had been two weeks since the inspection. Two
weeks since her dream had become reality. Two weeks since she’d
seen or heard from Gabe.

She banished the thought of him from her
mind. She’d proved she could get along just fine without him. As
long as she worked hard and didn’t think about him. As long as she
didn’t lose focus and start daydreaming about him. As long as she
didn’t sleep—because that’s when she fantasized about all the
sensual nights she’d spent in his arms. What had she done to
deserve his treatment?

She sniffed and battled tears that pricked
the backs of her eyes. She would not waste waterworks on Gabe.

“
Miss Jones? Are you
okay?” Roland asked. The concern written in his eyes made her want
to cry all the more.

“
I…uh, I’m sorry. I’m…not
usually…”

He patted her reassuringly on the hand. “I
know this is probably very emotional for you.”

She shook her head. He mistakenly thought
she was choked up over being on the show. He had no clue of the
inner turmoil she battled.

“
Well, well,” a deep voice
sliced the air. “Isn’t this convenient?”

Candace looked up through misty eyes to see
Gabe towering over her. Her heart thumped haphazardly as she took
in his appearance. God, he looked good! His pale yellow shirt
contrasted against his chocolate skin. Her fingers itched to caress
his bulging biceps as they strained against the material. Her body
screamed out for him. How she missed him. Seeing him again was like
giving a sip of water to a person dying of thirst.

“
Gabe, I…”

He cut her off. “I hope this guy has enough
money to keep you happy.”

The smirk on his face was meant to be
sarcastic, but the flash of anger in his eyes belied his true
feelings. How dare he? He was the one who’d dumped her! He’d
refused to call her. He’d gotten what he wanted and now had the
nerve to be upset because he assumed she was on a date with some
other guy. She didn’t owe him any explanation.

“
At least he’ll call me
the morning after,” she retorted.

“
I hope it’s not collect,
or you won’t be taking his call.”

“
I’m sorry you must have
me confused with some other gold digging hussy you
know.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, I
know plenty, and I thought you were the kind of woman who didn’t
fit in that category, but you sure had me fooled.”

Okay, enough of the veiled insults.

“
What the hell are you
talking about, Gabe?”

“
Admit it. You were only
dating me for my money.”

Candace gasped. “What? That’s a lie.”

“
Really? Coincidentally,
you started dating me after my employee told you that I owned
Sampson’s.”